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House Speaker Mike Johnson continues to defend his perplexing decision to keep the House in recess for a period exceeding one month.
"House Republicans are undertaking some of the most significant work of their careers," he stated at a news conference on Monday. "They are in their districts, working around the clock with their constituents, assisting them not only in navigating the crisis created by this Democrat-led shutdown but also in addressing all the other matters that demand their attention. I am hearing from them directly. They are having some of the most profound interactions with their constituents that they have ever experienced during a time of immense crisis, and that is truly, deeply important. For that reason, I do not wish to pull them away from that work."
Johnson also asserted that there remains "plenty of time" in the year for Republicans to perform the legislative duties for which they were elected—a claim that is entirely untrue.
Not a single one of the individual spending bills necessary to fund government operations for the full fiscal year has reached President Donald Trump's desk for his signature. In fact, the temporary continuing resolution that Republicans passed in September is slated to expire on November 21. Therefore, even if the government were to reopen today, Congress would have less than a month to pass the long-term spending legislation required to keep the government operational.
Republicans are also failing to work on legislation to extend the Affordable Care Act subsidies, which would prevent the health insurance premiums for millions of Americans from doubling—the very issue that precipitated the government shutdown. However, a number of GOP lawmakers are now privately expressing concern that this inaction will harm their party in the 2026 midterm elections.
As for the "meaningful" work that Johnson claims Republicans are engaged in within their districts, it certainly does not include holding town hall meetings to hear the concerns of their constituents. Johnson advised Republicans against conducting town halls, as voters are attending to voice their anger over cuts to Medicaid and food stamps, and for allowing Trump to damage the economy with his misguided tariffs.
Indeed, Representative Mariannette Miller-Meeks of Iowa—one of the most vulnerable Republicans facing reelection in 2026—remarked that she would hold a town hall "when hell freezes over."
Perhaps this "meaningful" work involves the efforts of the virulently racist Representative Randy Fine of Florida, who is attempting to "denaturalize and deport" the Democratic mayoral candidate for New York City, Zohran Mamdani.
“I just think we need to take a hard look at how these folks became citizens, and if there is any fraud or any violation of the rules we need to denaturalize and deport,” Fine remarked to the New York Post on Saturday.
Then there is Representative Anna Paulina Luna of Florida, who met with the head of Russia's sovereign wealth fund during his visit to the United States to try to persuade Trump and the GOP to refrain from imposing sanctions on Russia for targeting innocent civilians in its deplorable war on Ukraine.
And we cannot overlook Representative Jim Jordan of Ohio, who has continued his investigations into the Biden administration in an effort to incite anger among the right. What a "meaningful" use of his time.
Other Republicans are simply using their time off to defend Trump from whatever new scandal is afflicting his administration, whether it is his demolition of the White House, his vilification of the massive “No Kings” protests, or his $230 million extortion of U.S. taxpayers.
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